The next thing Weiss remembered wasn't slow come to cognizance but a brutal snap back to reality. There was a woman above her, her features were blurry but Weiss could see the flow of a white cape and red hair. The blurred figure was kneeling over Weiss and making rhythmic movements up and down that beat with the pains in her chest.
"Wake up!"
Weiss tried to speak, but failing to do so she reached out a hand and gripped the arm of the woman tightly. There was a startled gasp and immediately, the pulsing in Weiss chest ceased. She fitfully gasped and inhaled, struggling to draw breath that just didn't seem to come. With her free hand, she clawed at the frozen ground beneath her while her other clenched the arm of the woman tightly.
"Oh thank God!" The woman leaned in closer and Weiss could see her eyes wide and her voice echoed what her eyes were implying. Concern. "Can you hear me? What's your name?"
Weiss struggled to speak, but even as she did so, shadows danced at the edge of her vision. Her words died in her throat, caught between encroaching darkness and ragged gasps for breath. Futilely she fought it, willing herself to stay awake. She gripped the arm of the woman with all the strength she had like a lifeline.
"It's okay. You're safe. Take a deep breath."
But Weiss couldn't breathe. Her chest was burning and her eyes wouldn't clear. She was getting so frustrated that she couldn't see until she felt a warm streak run down her cheek and she realized that she was crying.
Weiss felt a hand cover her own. It was warm, so warm it burned her hand. Weiss let go of the woman's sleeve and gripped the hand with her own. She didn't want the woman to let go but Weiss couldn't fight it. Her vision again shrunk to a pinprick until all she could see was the woman's face.
She had silver eyes.
"You're gonna be okay." The woman repeated but Weiss was only dimly aware. She felt her grip slipping on the woman and no matter what she did, she couldn't hold on. The warmth that she had clung to fell away and Weiss slipped back into darkness with it.
…..
…..
"You're safe now…."
The next time Weiss awoke, it wasn't to the gentle pleading of an unknown woman nor the bitter cold of winter. In contrast, she felt unbearably warm and the noise that pulled her to consciousness was someone singing.
Loudly and off-key.
It was this second issue, the off-key singing, that brought Weiss to full alertness more than anything. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an entirely new environment. Gone was the winter snow and the evergreen trees. In their stead were whitewashed walls and lush cream carpet. Weiss was left rather confused by this. The walls were unfamiliar, covered in movie posters and certainly not reminiscent of her own bedroom. She herself was in a bed with a thick comforter covering her.
But all of these things were irrelevant. The singing had to stop.
Weiss traced the origin of the offensive noise and found a girl sitting at a nearby desk towards the foot of the bed. She had headphones covering her ears, but it didn't obstruct Weiss' view as the desk was placed to the side, providing Weiss with a profile view of the offender.
She looked young, younger than Weiss at least with thin shoulders and the yet to develop feminine aspects of a teenager. Her face was thin and markedly pale, with a short crop of red hair dancing about her shoulders. A silver eye stared intently at some object in front of her. She held a pencil between her fingers that beat a steady tempo on the desk as she alternated between singing and humming.
Weiss cleared her throat, finding it far scratchier than it had any right to be. "Excuse me?"
The girl paused mid pencil-drum stroke and pulled her headphones down around her neck. "Yeah?" She yelled over her shoulder towards the door all without looking up from the paper in front of her.
Weiss winced at the shrill shout and wondered just how clueless a girl could be. "I'm right here, you don't need to yell."
Her words had an unexpected effect on the girl. She froze and with eyes so wide her irises were entirely visible, she slowly turned to Weiss. She stared at Weiss for several moments, her jaw moving up and down once or twice without words. Finally, she managed to choke out. "You're awake!"
Weiss raised an eyebrow lazily, finding all other forms of response exhausting to consider.
"O-M-Goodness!" The girl suddenly shrieked as she leapt up from her chair. The chair clattered to the floor as the girl zipped to the door faster than Weiss could see. She paused momentarily, looked back at Weiss as she bounced up and down on her toes. "Just-Don't move!" She then vanished out the door shouting. "She's awake!" Over and over again.
Weiss remained where she lay, nonplussed at the reaction. Sure, she had woken up but she couldn't see why that was remarkable. The real question that Weiss had was what had happened and where she was.
Barely a minute had passed before there was a rapid staccato of thumps and bangs accompanied by shouts of pain and 'Me first!' Weiss watched the door with apprehension even as a red and yellow ball of movement slammed into the doorframe and onto the floor. So entangled were the colors that it took Weiss a moment to recognize what it was. It was two girls, the red-head from before and a blonde girl who perched atop the other like a lioness over her prey.
"Woah Ruby," Said the blonde girl as she stared at Weiss like she was a new toy to play with. "You weren't kidding, she is awake."
The red-head, who must be Ruby, lifted her face from its newly made place in the carpet. "I told you! But no, you're always like, 'Ruby is such a liar face.' And then Mom is always like, 'Ruby, quit lying to Yang or you have to do her chores.'"
"Cause you are a liar face." Said the one that Wiess guessed was Yang.
"Am not!"
Weiss' only reaction was to stare back at the two as they bickered back and forth. She wished that the blankets would hide her from these two before her, but that wouldn't likely solve any issues. She opened her mouth to say something, anything to remind them that she was here, when someone else stepped in. Someone with a familiar voice.
"Girls!" Came a stern yet not unkind command. All three girls turned to a silver eyed woman standing in the doorway. Weiss didn't even need to second guess, this was the woman who had saved her. Looking between her and Ruby, it was like a younger clone had been made. They were so similar it was almost eerie. Even their clothes were similar in style.
The two arguing sisters ceased their fight and Yang immediately rolled off of Ruby. "Look Mom! She's awake!"
The woman smiled at her two girls before directing her eyes over them towards Weiss. As their eyes met her smile only widened. It was comforting, as her smile seemed to radiate and make her eyes shine. "So she is." She then knelt down to her children, "Listen, I know you two are excited to talk to her but I bet she is starving." She wasn't wrong. "Would you go down and get her some of that soup I made last night?"
With a series of nods the two girls leapt to their feet and proceeded to replay their dramatic entry into the room in reverse, slams and bangs included. The woman was quick to shut the door behind them.
Turning about, the woman crossed the distance and sat on the bed next to Weiss. Weiss was somewhat mortified at the current scenario. She was trapped in the bed, too weak to really move and she had no idea what to say. But again, the woman came to the rescue.
"Sorry about the girls. They have been so excited for you to wake up that they have been taking shifts staying by your side." She laughed and shook her head as from below came the clatter of dishes and additional shouts. "They really are sweet."
Weiss again was confused as to why was everyone excited for her to wake up. "Excuse me Miss-"
"It's Summer. Summer Rose."
Weiss cleared her throat and began shifting the covers so that perhaps she could sit up. "My apologies Miss Rose, but, where am I? Who are you and… There was a Grimm and a bright light and I think…" She trailed off as she tried to recall what had happened. So much fear filled her at the memories that she felt her eyes blur and warm tears trickled down her cheeks to darken the pillow. "I thought I was going to die."
"I'm sure this is all confusing." Said Summer. Weiss blinked away the obfuscating tears to see that Summer's smile had faded and she absentmindedly played with a corner of the bed covers. Weiss expected her to continue but Summer instead asked a different question. "What's your name?"
"Weiss." She answered as she sniffled back tears.
Summer smiled and reached over to wipe the tears that pooled on Weiss' cheeks. "Weiss. That's a lovely name."
Weiss smiled despite herself and felt her nervousness at the touch of a stranger dissipate. Something about this woman was so warm and comforting. "Thank you." But it still didn't replace her burning desire to have her questions answered. "What happened? Please."
Summer's hand froze on Weiss' cheek before slowly withdrawing. Weiss stared intently at Summer's eyes even as they turned away from her to stare out the frosty panes of the window. "I would have liked to have told you all this later when you were up and moving. Definitely not when you had been awake for five minutes" She idly fiddled with the hem of her skirt and her brow creased together tightly. "But I guess you need to know anyway."
Weiss struggled to sit up as Summer began to speak. Summer was quick to help as she gently eased Weiss upright. "First I think you should know first that I am a Huntress."
That caught Weiss attention. She was in the same room as a full-fledged Huntress. It was a rare thing indeed. Her expression must have disclosed her shock because Summer laughed and said, "Oh please, don't give me that look! I like being a Mom much more. Being a Huntress is far less rewarding."
Weiss didn't believe her.
"Anyway, I say that because I was out tracking down a particular Ursa that had nearly killed Doctor Brown's son. That's how I found you." As Summer continued to speak, she again looked toward the window and the winter snow that fell outside.
Weiss leaned forward in anticipation, eager to know exactly what happened. "How did you find me?"
Summer however, seemed to not share the enthusiasm. The corners of her lips were pulled in a slight frown that didn't seem to fit with the cheerful maternal image that Weiss had already attached to her. "It isn't a pleasant story, even for me." She paused for several moments and remained unmoving. Outside the wind picked up and rattled softly against the window pane. Finally, Summer spoke. "It had been a rather cold night and sun was just coming up.…"
Summer knelt down in the snow as the first rays of dawn's light began to bathe the world in light and warmth. Summer was grateful for the rays, her cloak, while warm, was insufficient next to the biting cold of the Atlassian night. She carefully examined the tracks of the Ursa, its mighty paws had dug deep and easily found tracks. Summer smiled grimly, the beast would be dead by breakfast and Summer would be long gone towards home.
She stood and replaced her tattered glove on her exposed hand while her other rested on the hilt of her weapon, Dawn's Rose. It was a simple straight sword with a blade that shimmered like polished shiver when drawn. It did nothing more than its image presented, but Summer hardly needed anything more complex.
She set off at a slow jog, navigating the trees and frozen ground where the earth was easiest to traverse. She winded after the Ursa's trail, startling a few white-furred rabbits who bounded off into the still dark shadows of the trees.
After a few minutes of this methodic pace, something large caught her eye flitting between a strand of trees. It was far away but the form was unmistakable. A Beowulf. Its body was set low to the ground and its ears were flitted back. It was hunting for something.
Summer stopped immediately and watched. A single Beowulf was hardly an issue, it was the packs they formed that wreaked the havoc they were so known for. But that was irrelevant for Grimm only hunted for one thing; Humans and Faunus.
Ursa all but forgotten, Summer darted through the trees, running as fast as she was able to reach this Grimm before it reached whatever it searched for. The cold air burned her throat and lungs as she sprinted. She saw the Grimm halt and begin nudging a form in the snow. The form moved.
It was a person.
No. A child.
Summer no longer had the time to run. She drew upon her Semblance and disappeared in a flash of light…
…and reappeared a dozen yards ahead. She did it again. And again. She was so close…
The Beowulf reared back then lunged forward.
There was another flash of light that illuminated the snow more brightly than the sun. The Beowulf's head was suddenly slinging wildly through the air. White rose petals mixed with the black ash of Grimm as Summer knelt where she had landed, Dawn's Rose high in the air behind her.
With a soft thud, the Beowulf's body fell to the ground and joined its head in disappearing into nothingness.
Summer stood and wiped her already clean blade on her cloak before sheathing the weapon. She strode to the form she had seen and gasped when she confirmed what she had feared.
It was a child. A girl.
Summer quickly knelt and rolled the girl onto her back and stifled a gasp. Blood. There was blood all over her. The girls coat was dyed red while from a cut across her eye ran another small trickle of blood. Dirt and snow clung to her face and hair. Summer quickly pressed her fingers against the girl's neck and prayed.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Exhaling a breath she had been unknowingly holding, Summer sat back on her heels. The girl was alive. But her pulse was so weak that Summer had to work quickly. She ripped her gloves from her hands and knelt beside the girl. She worked for several minutes and used every trick she knew.
Before long she set back and wiped her brow. She had done everything she could, even managing to somehow stop the bleeding that seeped from a hole in the girl's side. But something was off. Summer halted for a moment as the bleeding subsided for, as the bleeding slowed, the girl's breathing did as well.
"No." Summer whispered and she frantically placed her fingers once more against the girl's neck.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
…
Thump.
Thump.
…
Thump.
…
Thump.
…
…
"NO!" screamed Summer as she tore her cloak from her body. "You can't die! I won't let you!" She placed her palms over the girl's chest and pressed, forcing the girl's heart to pump whatever little blood remained. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she breathed for this little girl; as she beat the heart of this little girl.
"Please! Wake up!" Cried Summer. Over and over again she begged the girl to awaken. She couldn't help but look at this little girl and think of her own daughters. Of Yang and Ruby and that this girl she had found was the daughter to another mother. Summer would be damned before she gave up.
She did this for several minutes, ignoring all else but the little girl she fought to save. So focused was she that she almost failed to notice the weak grip on her arm. Blinking away the tears that clouded her vision, she looked to see the girl was moving and gasping for breath.
"Oh thank God!" Cried Summer as relief flooded her being. "Can you hear me? What's your name?" Summer asked, but the girl didn't respond, she only gripped Summer's arm more tightly, her grip so surprisingly strong that her nails bit into Summer's flesh through her coat. The girl gasped for air, obviously struggling with such a simple task.
"It's okay, you're safe. Take a deep breath." Summer reached up and gripped the girls hand tightly with her own. The girl was squirming and writhing in obvious pain and Summer could only whisper to the girl to provide comfort. Tears flowed from the girl's eyes, diluting the blood and dirt that stained her cheeks and she let go of Summer's arm to hold her hand.
Summer's eyes blurred as she watched this poor girl struggle and fight to live. She stared back at Summer like she was a lifeline and Summer knew then that she would do whatever it took to save this little girl.
"You're gonna be okay." Summer whispered as the girl's eyelids fluttered and her grip weakened. As her cold hands finally went limp, Summer's heart broke. She felt once more for the girl's pulse and listened.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Sobbing in relief she gripped the girl gently and pulled her to her breast. She rocked back and forth as she held the girl tightly. "I've got you. You're safe now." She brushed the girl's white hair with her own blood-stained fingers.
She stayed there for several minutes, humming lullabies to the girl and to herself. But when the sun pierced through the boughs of the evergreen trees and highlighted the reddened snow, it reminded Summer that time was something she couldn't afford to waste. She couldn't stay here and hold this girl and make everything okay. Songs don't heal wounds. She needed a doctor. She needed someplace warm.
Gently she set the girl down and retrieved her cloak. She wrapped the warm clothing around the girl and gently lifted her. Summer grit her teeth as she considered the distance she had to travel. She had a day's worth of walking to do on no sleep and little food. She looked once more at the girl she held, at her bloodied face and frostbitten nose and the Huntress' grimace hardened instead to determination.
A day's worth of travel?
Summer would do it in half that time.
Weiss listened intently to every word that Summer spoke of her rescue. She fought a lump that seemed lodged in her throat as the heartbreak was still evident in Summer even now in the way she wrung her fingers and the faint shimmer her silver eyes took as she told Weiss the story.
It was so odd to Weiss. Her father had raised her to think that no one was better than she. Weiss was below no man or woman and should never sacrifice herself for some 'lowly commoner.' Summer took such notions and spat back at them. She had done everything she could to save Weiss. The lump in her throat forced tears to pool in Weiss' eyes. She quickly ducked her head and rubbed her eyes.
"It's okay to cry. You've been through a lot." Summer said as she noticed Weiss' movement.
"No, there's just something in my eye." Weiss lied even as sniffles betrayed her lie entirely.
She heard Summer giggle softly. "Sure." Summer stood and went to the window. She raised a finger and started drawing in the condensation on the window pane. "There is something else you should know too."
"Hmm?"
"Well… All of this happened two months ago." Summer looked over her shoulder at the rogue heiress. "Today is the first time you've really been awake."
Weiss stared blankly at Summer. "Two months?"
Summer nodded and resumed drawing. Little stick figures came to life in the window pane one by one under her fingers. "Doctor Brown, the one who sent me to get that Ursa, came as soon as I brought you here. We did everything we could but we couldn't get you to wake up. The stress on your body had been too much. But you were stable and he said it was no issue to keep you here until you woke up."
Weiss could hardly believe what she had been hearing. It felt like yesterday she was running away from home. She shook her head in disbelief. "No, that can't be right. It was just yesterday."
Summer stopped drawing on the window. Weiss could see the picture clearly. It was a picture of a large Grimm that had little x's where its eyes should be. A stick person stood atop it with a crudely drawn smile drawn on its face holding aloft a sword in triumph. Weiss found the picture very childish for an adult to draw. The look that Summer shot back at Weiss was anything but childish, it was remorseful. "Believe me Weiss, I wish I was. But all I care about is that you are alive and healthy." Her face softened considerably, not that it had been particularly hard before, and she smiled brightly. Again, Weiss was stunned by how warm her smile was. "But you are still welcome to be here. Ruby has been setting a place for you at the dinner table every night just in case you woke up in time for dinner."
Weiss laughed softly at the thought even as her eyes watered again at the thought of the care she had received. Weiss wanted to believe that none of it had happened. But everything Summer said rang with honesty. When Weiss was sure the moisture in her eyes was gone she looked up to meet Summer's face once more and cleared her throat. "I want to thank you for saving me. I don't know how I can ever repay you but I promise if there is any-"
Summer held up a hand and cut her off. "Don't." She interrupted, still smiling. "Did you know that I gave you a nickname while I carried you?" Weiss shook her head. Summer walked from the window and jumped onto the bed next to Weiss, her legs barely poking over the edge of the bed. "I called you Snowflake. You were so fragile then. So frail. I thought you would melt away in my arms as I carried you. I worried and worried that you wouldn't make it."
Weiss noted how somber Summer still was about the experience. Was that what mothers did? Worry constantly? Weiss couldn't know. She couldn't remember her own mother.
"The funny thing is. I only give nicknames to my daughters."
Weiss looked sideways at Summer. This time, tears pooled in Weiss' vision and she didn't try to hide them. She only smiled at Summer as the woman leaned her head back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. "So please," Summer continued, "Don't feel the need to thank me."
"Of course." Weiss said, declining her head respectfully. "My apologies Miss Rose."
Summer swatted Weiss' knee gently, "You are certainly proper, though I'm certain Tai and Yang will fix that."
"Tai?"
"My husband. I think that sometimes he worried over you more than even I did."
"Oh."
They sat there for a minute or two in silence. There was a faint thud on the door after the silence had stretched out. Summer sighed, "Come in girls, I know you're there."
The door slowly swung open to show Yang lying on the floor on her stomach. She was glaring upwards at Ruby who stood with the guiltiest smile one could have ever mustered. She waved nervously. "Hi. We uh…" She glanced from side to side down the hall before grabbing a tray that had been out of sight and holding it like a peace offering. "Room service?"
Weiss glowered at the girl and expected some sort of reprimand out of Summer like her father would have given Weiss. As such she was entirely shocked when instead Summer burst into laughter. She laughed hard, eventually holding her stomach as she fought to breathe past her humor. Yang too joined in as the contagion spread and Weiss found herself smiling in spite of her best efforts. Ruby merely stood, beaming as she held the tray out proudly.
Still hiccupping laughs, Summer waved Ruby over who set the tray on the bed next to Weiss. The tray held a glass of cold milk, a bowl of some steaming soup that smelled like the most delightful thing ever, and a plate of strawberries, their stems delicately removed. It was still less than Weiss was used to, but at that moment, it looked like the most succulent feast ever devised and she wasted no time in digging into the meal without regard for etiquette. She was a little ashamed of her behavior, but only just.
Ruby beamed and bobbed up and down on her toes. "I hope you like strawberries, they are my favorite!"
"There was a cookie too." Muttered Yang, who had yet to move from her spot on the floor of the doorway but remained propped up on her elbows. "But Rubes here can't seem to control herself."
"Pssh, consider it a tax for using my room."
Weiss tuned out the sisters as she devoured what was presented to her. The conversations shifted to more mundane matters and Weiss was grateful that they refrained from speaking with her directly. She had a lot to think about.
As she munched on the last strawberry, Summer stood up from the bed. "C'mon girls. I'm sure Weiss is tired of our shenanigans." She grabbed the now empty tray from the bed and made for the door. The two girls left ahead of her, waving at Weiss and talking already of the fun things they would do together with Weiss.
"Miss Rose," Weiss called out as Summer moved to shut the door. Summer halted in the doorway, her hand still on the doorknob as she looked at Weiss. Weiss averted her gaze, feeling rather shy under the gaze of the motherly figure. "Thank you, again. For everything."
She looked up just in time to see Summer wink, "No problem Snowflake." Weiss smiled back as the door clicked shut.
When she was certain that everyone was gone, Weiss allowed herself to collapse back onto the bed. She had a lot to think about and, being alone, she allowed herself to cry. She had literally lost everything in what felt to her like a week. She had lost her home, her first friend, her inheritance, her independence and two months of her life.
She wished that none of it had ever happened.
Sniffling and wiping her eyes on her sleeve, she considered now where she was. It was a polar opposite of what was before. It was a family of strangers that knew her better than she knew them. Only, they knew nothing about Weiss truly. Only a name. But they took her in anyway and cared for her like a member of their family. The thought made Weiss smile and, for the first time in what felt like forever, feel warm inside.
She shut her eyes and tried to relax in light of the feeling, but it quickly faded. Contentment shifted to anxiety as a new thought foisted its way into her mind. This family put themselves in terrible danger by helping her. Weiss' father would not stop hunting for her. He would find her eventually.
Weiss couldn't stay here.
She pushed herself up from the bed and shoved her enfeeblement aside. Gingerly she stepped from the bed and shuffled to the window where the winter winds still whipped the snow in a white hurricane. The image that Summer had drawn on the window pane was still present though ominously; the heroic figure had faded and all that remained was the large Ursa.
She rested her head against the freezing glass and sighed. She would be running again all too soon.